This is the first of a few update stories we have for you today. Previously, we reported that a big court case between Apple and HTC would be decided near the end of this month that could dramatically affect the entire Android ecosystem. Unluckily, the International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Apple, and has banned the importing of HTC devices that infringe Apple’s patents. Luckily, the ultimate consequences turned out to be not nearly as dire as was possible.

First, the ITC banned the import and sale of HTC devices running the Android 1.6 and 2.2 OS. It was within these devices that Apple’s patent ’647 was being infringed upon. Supposedly, this still leaves a window for Apple to crawl through in which they could go after other manufacturers of Android products.

HTC has altered their strategy with Android smartphones and has decided to refocus their efforts on quality instead of quantity. According to reports, the manufacturer will throw out their previous process of throwing out as many phones as they can, hoping some of them will stick. Instead they are going back to basics to slow down production and increase the quality and marketability of each device. They plan to have a flagship Android 4.0/Ice Cream Sandwich device available in April of next year for AT&T.

The phone’s internal codename is the HTC Elite, although there is a rumor that the launch name will be the HTC Congressional (let’s cross our fingers that this rumor does NOT stick, because that is an awful name). This phone will be a high-end device and, as is their new norm, will include Beats Audio technology and branding. The only other specs that were shared about the device was a 4.7-inch screen and LTE capability. We will keep you in the loop when we find out more.

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